In trying to piece together the stories that I have uncovered in Priscilla's chest, it has quickly become apparent that there was not a lot of information on her life before her and Johnny arrived in Red Creek. There are hints of things in different passages from her diary (which I will soon publish so you can read as well), but no hard facts. so I have taken it upon myself to help flesh out this story and did some digging on my own. The amount of information I was able to find does not tell the whole story, but I think you will agree that it helps.
She was born on Sept 3rd, 1855 on a small farm in western Kentucky. Her maiden name was Barns. Her parents, Abe and Clara were farmhands trying to scratch out a meager existence. She had two younger brothers, who both died young. In 1867 the family moved to the then booming town of Wichita Kansas. In 1869 both Abe and Clara contracted Small Pox and passed away, leaving the then 14 year old Prissy on her own.
The next few years are hard to figure out. We know by her diary that she arrived, married and pregnant in Red Creek in Jan. 1874. We also know that U.S. Marshall Snake Johnson worked out of Wichita in the last few years that Prissy lived there. Marshall Johnson would play a very large part in the events of Red Creek as you shall soon discover. What the exact nature of his and Prissy's relationship was in Wichita is unclear. But easy to guess at. Suffice it to say that in Wichita at least, Prissy was not the respectable school marm that she grew into in Red Creek.
But you will learn more shortly,
Barry Cardwell.
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